Callum and the others stood motionless beneath the towering ashen mountains, their eyes fixed upon the distant silhouettes forming high among the jagged cliffs. The valley around them remained as dead and eternal as ever. Since arriving within this cursed expanse, they had encountered creatures that should not have existed, but never once had they seen actual people.
The figures atop the mountain stood unnaturally still, their forms barely distinguishable against the endless gray fog drifting through the valley. They watched silently from above like specters observing intruders who had wandered too far into sacred territory.
Callum narrowed his eyes carefully.
Beside him, Chrome's enormous mechanical frame emitted a faint metallic hum as the construct analyzed the distant beings. Streams of blue light flickered beneath the machine's armor plating before finally dimming.
"…My systems cannot register them," Chrome stated in its usual deep mechanical tone.
Callum visibly tensed.
Even after everything that had happened, the machine's voice still unsettled him on some instinctive level.
"Yeah…" he muttered quietly while staring upward. "That doesn't exactly make me feel better."
His grip tightened slightly around his weapon.
"You think they're actually human?"
No one answered.
The atmosphere had grown too tense for casual assumptions.
Ember remained crouched behind the group in silence. Even while resting, the creature resembled a living fortress more than any ordinary beast.
Anything sane would flee at the mere sight of it.
Yet the silhouettes atop the mountain remained unmoving.
Finally, Caesar stepped forward.
"Well," he said calmly while adjusting his coat, "let's not pretend we're confused about what happens if this goes wrong."
His body shifted afterward.
Mechanical components folded and rearranged beneath synthetic flesh as cybernetic armor spread across his arms.
Evelyn, Yuki, and Artoria all watched carefully while Caesar advanced several more steps ahead of the group.
He cleared his throat loudly.
"Strangers!" he called out across the valley.
"Do not underestimate us!"
The silhouettes remained still.
"If you wish to speak, then approach peacefully! We will not attack without reason!"
Caesar raised his arm slightly.
"But do not misunderstand our intentions either. If necessary, we possess more than enough force to kill the likes of you."
Silence followed.
The valley itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then,
One of the silhouettes vanished.
Caesar's eyes grew wide.
A low masculine voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"I see."
Caesar froze.
"We mean no harm, stranger. There is no need for violence."
His heartbeat accelerated.
Caesar turned his head.
A man now stood directly beside him.
No movement had been visible whatsoever.
He had simply appeared.
Caesar's cybernetic systems hadn't detected a thing, not movement, not heat, not displacement in the atmosphere. Nothing. The stranger had crossed the distance faster than Caesar's systems or perception could process.
And before Caesar could consciously react,
His body did.
His mechanical arm moved instinctively.
The cybernetic limb twisted, armor splitting apart as reinforced servos activated at maximum output. The punch launched toward the stranger's skull with enough force to reduce reinforced steel to fragments.
Caesar himself couldn't stop it.
For a normal human, the strike would have meant instant death.
The stranger caught it effortlessly.
The shockwave from the punch exploded outward, tearing through the valley in a violent burst of wind. Dust and ash erupted around them as the stranger's hood was blown backward from the force.
Ivory-white hair spilled free into the wind.
Beneath it rested dark olive skin and eyes unlike anything any of them had ever seen.
Slitted pupils.
Pitch-black irises.
Eyes resembling those of a serpent staring from the depths of endless darkness itself.
The man remained completely unmoved.
His expression did not even change.
Instead, his gaze simply shifted away from Caesar entirely and moved toward the others.
Utterly unbothered.
Caesar's eyes grew further in disbelief.
The stranger then turned his attention toward Ember.
For several moments, the massive wyvern and the hooded man exchanged silent stares.
Finally, Callum stepped forward nervously.
Even now, Chrome's presence behind him still made his skin crawl slightly.
"I apologize for that," Callum said cautiously. "But… who exactly are you?"
The stranger slowly turned away from Ember.
"And more importantly," Callum continued, "do you know a way out of this place?"
The man observed him quietly for several moments before finally inclining his head slightly.
"My apologies as well," he replied calmly. "I had no idea you were treasured companions of the White Demon."
He bowed politely.
"My name is Atherius Dracronith."
His voice carried a strangely refined cadence despite the harshness of the valley around them.
"I am the First of the Seven Sages."
He straightened slowly.
"And it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Callum Pendragon."
Callum blinked in surprise.
"…You know who I am?"
A faint smirk touched Atherius' face.
"Of course."
The wind shifted softly around him.
"All seven of us know of the heir of Pendragon."
Artoria stepped forward, her blade drawn in one fluid motion.
Her expression hardened.
"Pendragon is not a title one speaks lightly," she declared coldly. "Who exactly are you people to throw that name around so casually?"
Atherius sighed quietly.
"Have I not already answered that question?"
His gaze shifted toward her calmly.
"We are the Seven Sages. Hermits devoted to uncovering the truth behind existence itself."
Artoria clearly remained unconvinced, but before she could press further, Callum raised a hand to stop her.
"The others with you," Callum asked carefully, "are they members of the Seven Sages too?"
Atherius nodded.
"They are."
He paused briefly before turning back toward Caesar.
"Speaking of which… we recently encountered one of our own here within the valley."
Caesar narrowed his eyes.
"And based on the way you're looking at me," he said carefully, "I'm guessing you need something."
Atherius nodded once more.
"Yes."
"For reasons I'm sure you understand, machines do not function properly within the Undying Valley. Our companion's systems are deteriorating rapidly."
His gaze briefly shifted toward Chrome.
"Much like your friend before his repairs."
Caesar's suspicion deepened.
"And?"
Atherius folded his hands behind his back.
"If you restore him, we will guide you safely out of the valley."
Silence followed.
Caesar stared at him carefully.
Then Atherius spoke again before anyone could respond.
"And naturally," he added calmly, "the children you came here to rescue are currently safe within Irea, our base of operations."
Every member of the group froze.
"What?"
Evelyn and Yuki both spoke at the exact same time.
"You know where they are?!"
The two woman looked at each other afterward, irritation flashing briefly between them before they turned away again in mutual annoyance.
Even now, their rivalry refused to die.
Atherius chuckled softly.
"Yes. I do."
He glanced toward the distant mountains.
"Though Irea lies very far from here."
His expression became thoughtful.
"They arrived roughly two months ago. Two of them in particular were taken in personally by our leader, Sir Drago."
He paused.
"I believe their names were Vale and Eskar."
Relief visibly washed across Callum's face.
Hope appeared within his eyes.
"…Man."
He laughed weakly.
"Hearing that honestly makes me want to hug you."
And before Atherius could react, Callum stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him.
The sage visibly stiffened.
The mysterious man looked genuinely confused.
After several awkward seconds, he finally cleared his throat politely while Callum stepped back.
"Right…" Atherius muttered awkwardly.
Then his expression sharpened slightly once more.
"On another note," he continued, "you currently stand within the territory of the Dark Mist."
The atmosphere shifted.
"A primordial Goliath of Uncreation."
Even Ember lifted its head slightly.
"The strongest known Spawn in existence."
Several members of the group stared at him in disbelief.
"I assume," Atherius continued calmly, "that you were unaware of this."
He glanced toward Ember again.
"Fortunately, the creature does not attack travelers."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Especially not those associated with the White Demon."
Callum frowned.
"…Wait."
"The White Demon?"
Atherius looked at the group quietly.
Then, without warning, two more hooded figures appeared beside him from thin air itself.
The newcomers remained silent while observing the group beneath lowered hoods.
Atherius sighed softly.
"…It seems," he said slowly, "that we have much more to discuss than I originally anticipated."
He turned away slightly.
"For now, I would appreciate it if you followed us to our injured companion."
His serpent-like eyes shifted back toward them one final time.
"And along the way…"
A faint smile crossed his face.
"I shall answer every question you have."